The sports fanship lifecycle

The sports fanship lifecycle has been of interest to the sports industry as well as academic researchers. Some evidence suggests that live TV sports audiences are aging, whereas other studies suggest fanship decreases with age. Using Carstensen’s Socioemotional Selectivity Theory (SST), we explore the lifecycle of sports fanship. Our results illustrate that changes over time depend on fanship avidity. Fanship appears to increase with age among avid fans whereas it decreases among those with no more than minimal fanship. SST may account for these findings. For avid fans, mediated sports continue to add meaning to their lives and, as a result, may be prioritized. Those who do not derive meaning from following mediated sports may place increased emphasis on other activities as they grow older. Future research needs to account for the role fanship levels play in the sports fanship lifecycle.